The present invention is directed to a stator for a linear motor, and in particular to an modular assembly piece useful in building a stator.
A linear motor has two main mechanical components, a shaft (or xe2x80x9crotorxe2x80x9d) and a stator.
The shaft moves reciprocally into and out of the stator due to magnetic forces generated by magnets and/or coils that lie in the shaft and/or stator.
The present invention contemplates a stator for a linear motor built by stacking modular parts. The parts include disc-like spacers and pre-manufactured wire coils, preferably interleaved with one another. Each spacer may be provided with major and/or minor slots which help improve the performance of the linear motor.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a stator assembly for a linear motor using modular parts such as stacked coils and spacers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an inventive spacer having major and/or minor slots in order to reduce the electric currents that the coils induce in the spacer.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a modular assembly piece for a motor, comprising a ring member having a radial dimension extending from an innermost region to an outer region; and an outer wall at said outer region.
These and other objects are also achieved by providing a stator for a linear motor, comprising a plurality of magnetic field producing members; and a plurality of assembly pieces, said assembly pieces and magnetic field producing members being interleaved with one another, wherein each of said assembly pieces includes a ring member having a radial dimension extending from an innermost region to an outer region, and an outer wall at said outer region.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the description and examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are not intended to limit the breadth of the invention since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.